1. Field of the Invention
The device of this invention resides in the area of tools to assist in the installation of a garbage disposal mounting flange and more particularly relates to a tool which holds the sink flange above, and retains the mounting elements for, a garbage disposal below a sink drain opening for fast and easy alignment and attachment thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When one is installing a garbage disposal, one must first install the garbage disposal mounting assembly which includes a fiber gasket positioned immediately below the sink on the sink flange, a back-up ring positioned beneath the fiber gasket, a mounting ring with three mounting screws therein beneath the back-up ring, and a snap ring to retain the mounting ring at the base of the sink flange. One must first align and putty under the sink flange rim and place its sleeve base through the sink drain opening in the sink and compress the rim against the sink to force out the excess putty. Then under the sink one must then hold the fiber gasket, back-up ring and mounting ring with its three screws therein and manipulate these elements onto the base of the sink flange without disturbing the positioning of the sink flange in order to be able to install the snap ring around the grooved base of the sleeve of the sink flange. The snap ring is a very tight fit and must be pried open and forced on carefully as it is in a hard-to-reach position under the sink while at the same time one must hold the sink flange rim in place. Then one must tighten the mounting screws upward against the bottom of the back-up ring, tightening it and the fiber gasket against the bottom of the sink to hold the disposal mounting flange and attached sink flange assembly in place. This is a difficult procedure and often much time is spent manipulating and properly aligning these items. If the putty under the sink flange rim is squeezed too much on one side or another, it can cause putty to ooze out on one side, requiring that the process be started over otherwise an inadequate seal will result if there is not a uniform and sufficient amount of putty in place under the sink flange rim. Also if not aligned correctly, the sink flange can be installed off-center in the sink drain opening. If the sink flange leaks after the installation has been completed, the entire assembly must be dismantled and the installation process started over again.